Sales of homes in Turkey surged in June after the government relaxed a lockdown on the population to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Purchases of new and existing homes climbed to 134,731 units last month from 59,166 in May, the Turkish Statistical Institute said on Monday. That was the highest level since September, when 136,744 homes were sold.
Turkey has lifted most restrictions on the population after cases of the coronavirus fell to less than 5,000 per day from a record high of more than 63,000 in April. The surge in cases had prompted the government to impose strict curfews and bans on intercity travel.
Sales of houses and apartments surged last month even after the cost of mortgage borrowing increased. The average interest rate on a home loan rose to 18 percent at the end of June from 17.8 percent in May and 14.8 percent at the end of September.
Purchases of homes fell by an annual 29 percent from June last year, when 190,012 units were sold, the institute said.
Ahval